Development of a hybrid neutron transport framework for static and dynamic calculations and applications to fast reactor cores

Research Project, 2019 – 2022

The modelling of neutron transport problems for nuclear reactor systems has long been divided into two types of approaches: the deterministic approach and the probabilistic approach. In the present project, combining the advantage of a probabilistic approach (i.e. high accuracy) and the advantage of a deterministic approach (i.e. low computing cost) is proposed in the development of a new hybrid probabilistic/deterministic method. The method will thus be able to treat large and geometrically complex problems at a high level of accuracy (thanks to the Monte Carlo approach) in a reasonable computing time (thanks to the deterministic framework). Because Generation-IV systems have much more heterogeneous core geometries, the proposed technique is particularly well suited to such systems and is expected to contribute to a more faithful modelling of their behaviour. The project will thus consider the development of such a new hybrid method, its test on given reference problems and its optimization, prior to its application on large and complex situations representative of Generation-IV systems. Both steady-state and dynamical cases under stationary conditions will be considered.